Superhero CITY - The Test

Chapter Two (edited)

The sharp crack of wood on wood sounded only an inch away from my ear, startling me out of a daze. I raised my head to focus my tired eyes on my teacher's angry glare. She didn't say a word to me, only tapped the tip of her long wooden ruler on the corner of my desk once more before turning and marching back up to the front of the classroom.

Sadly, this had become a common occurrence.

For the last two years, every day without fail, I would end up falling asleep the class before lunch. And on Tuesdays, that class was Combat Theory 201 with Miss Summers. After so long in this class, she had given up on berating me before lunch – but as a result I would get absolute hell from her or any of my other teachers if I was ever not paying one hundred and ten percent if the class was at any other time.

They had gone over it with the school councillor and my Mother that they would expect only the minimum from me during period five if I gave it my everything for the other seven each day.

But Miss Summers had gotten my attention on purpose today. That meant that whatever was happening today would be important. I struggled with my heavy eye lids to pay attention.

"I'm sure that everyone realized that last night was the new moon?"

A chorus of affirmations from my peers followed after Miss Summers' question, quickly quieting down again to listen in anticipation for what she would say next.

"Then you must all recall the Isle of Imperium's law that you now have until the full moon to have selected and registered your teams of four at the student office." She paused to take a deep breath and raise a single eyebrow at us all, "and surely I won't have to remind you that you are required under our laws to participate. The Test will be held at in our school coliseum from the full moon to the new moon, where the winning teams will be announced and begin their journey to the capitol."

Her punctuating clap was deafening in the sniffling silence as all the students in the room began to soundlessly plan for the next two weeks. Not even the piercing ring of the school bell or her dismissing the class could break them out of the strange silence.

I could only shrug at Chucky beside me as we got out of our seats and entered a hallway where only the youngest students were oblivious to the charged atmosphere, or daring enough to speak despite it.

When we'd first arrived for ninth grade at only thirteen years old, the only thing we'd shared was a dorm, and that was due simply to the random similarity in our family names. After he'd begun to tutor me, and I had started coaching him, our scores started to match and he appeared in more of my classes as one or both of us were moved to suit our new academic and physical needs. Now we shared every class, having chosen the same electives, and despite our nerd/jock social status and being in twelfth grade, you barely saw one of us without the other.

It made us both social outcasts.

I had rejected sitting with my team the week I first joined them, and even though I was promoted to chief of the duelling team – the equivalent of quarterback in American football – I still didn't want to be around them more than I had to. Popularity got to people's heads; they no longer felt like they had to exercise their manners, they dated a new person every week, and they were always trying to figure out how to stab you in the back while smiling in your face. I didn't want to be any part of that, I didn't even want a girlfriend until after I graduated at the end of next year.

If the right girl came along, maybe. But too many people got caught up in the drama and lost grades.

Chucky had it worse than me. At least I still got the occasional invitation to come sit at lunch or to join some party or another, still found anonymous girl's numbers in my serviette from whatever students were on kitchen duty that week.